Member Info for smrrty

Here’s hoping. The only disruption so far has been to peoples retirement plans.

For some reason this came to mind.

“Another thing that got forgotten was the fact that against all probability a sperm whale had suddenly been called into existence several miles above the surface of an alien planet.

And since this is not a naturally tenable position for a whale, this poor innocent creature had very little time to come to terms with its identity as a whale before it then had to come to terms with not being a whale any more.

This is a complete record of its thoughts from the moment it began its life till the moment it ended it.

Ah … ! What’s happening? it thought.

Er, excuse me, who am I?

Hello?

Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life?

What do I mean by who am I?

Calm down, get a grip now … oh! this is an interesting sensation, what is it? It’s a sort of … yawning, tingling sensation in my … my … well I suppose I’d better start finding names for things if I want to make any headway in what for the sake of what I shall call an argument I shall call the world, so let’s call it my stomach.

Good. Ooooh, it’s getting quite strong. And hey, what’s about this whistling roaring sound going past what I’m suddenly going to call my head? Perhaps I can call that … wind! Is that a good name? It’ll do … perhaps I can find a better name for it later when I’ve found out what it’s for. It must be something very important because there certainly seems to be a hell of a lot of it. Hey! What’s this thing? This … let’s call it a tail – yeah, tail. Hey! I can can really thrash it about pretty good can’t I? Wow! Wow! That feels great! Doesn’t seem to achieve very much but I’ll probably find out what it’s for later on. Now – have I built up any coherent picture of things yet?

No.

Never mind, hey, this is really exciting, so much to find out about, so much to look forward to, I’m quite dizzy with anticipation …

Or is it the wind?

There really is a lot of that now isn’t it?

And wow! Hey! What’s this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like … ow … ound … round … ground! That’s it! That’s a good name – ground!

I wonder if it will be friends with me?

And the rest, after a sudden wet thud, was silence.

Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the bowl of petunias as it fell was Oh no, not again. Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the bowl of petunias had thought that we would know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.”

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Banner. I am so with you on that.

Not sure if this has been posted but just came across it. Looks like Mexico are being quite aggressive in relation to mining.

https://primenewsprint.com/business/mexican-mining-industry-under-threat-from-sweeping-new-regulations/

@zoom yes. No doubt there will be a drop-off in mining investments as a result. But longer term - if the existing companies meet the government halfway then a means of local wealth creation will result with battery industries locating near the lithium mines. This will creat a local market for the end products including a rising middle class to buy things like electric cars etc. It all depends on how it’s all managed. So if nationalisation is basically tantamount to theft then not even battery or car manufacturers will invest in that country, but if it is done right it can actually work out better for everyone long term. Africa is likely to move in a similar direction. Indeed the investment strategy of China and Russia is to actually encourage the build up of domestic industry and the infrastructure to support it.. More local wealth equals bigger local markets.

I’m hoping that Mexico doesn’t attempt full state nationalisation/theft. But the jury still seems out on that one.

Chile is going the public/private partnership route. It is not cancelling contracts but hopes that existing manufacturers will be open to state involvement. So reading between the lines they want to ensure that lithium is used in the country to add value rather than just be exported. This could become a win-win if it is played right. Will have to see how it turns out.

Yes that’s reassuring. But reading between the lines this could rumble on and make the lawyers rich while we malinger. With so much at stake in terms of inward investment depending on the production of lithium you would think he would realise that through this as well as taxation he is potentially going to miss the boat on a windfall for his nation if he continues causing problems. Not that any of this stops things progressing on site. I’m assuming that all permits are in place and he can’t scupper progress completely.

What’s everyone complaining about? We are up almost 1%!

Amlo obviously put a few noses out of joint with his speech at the summit. : https://www.wsj.com/articles/barr-mexico-drug-cartels-ee0d8933

Nothing is what it seems imho.

Well I suppose there is this, which may give us some hope if Mexico is serious about joining. That’s if the U.S. doesn’t invade first. https://eurasiamedianetwork.com/mexico-plans-to-join-brics-amid-growing-tensions-with-us/

Never underestimate politicians ability to shoot themselves in the foot. I get the impression that full state nationalisation of the lithium production is his aim. No doubt more administrative errors change found to justify the illegal appropriation. If so it seems our hopes for Sonora are hanging on a wing and a prayer. Explains a lot about the share price.

So this is terrible news for us? They are cancelling all our concessions or aim to do so eventually? Is our only hope here that they won’t shoot themselves in the foot by thinking that they can move to production without Gangfen?

Someone here with a bit of experience of these things? All very weird.

Yes Jim. I think/hope that he has realised by now that if you do business with the Chinese you tend to get things like roads, railways, and education/local knowledge and skill base, and if you do business with the Americans you tend to get a coup.

Mexico is trying to square the North American alliance based on its economic subjugation with the Chinese ‘win-win’ approach. Unipolarity v multipolarity. They are trying to steer a course somewhere between the two. Assertion of sovereign power and economic development spearheaded by the BRICS countries v a North American Union that may have short term benefits but may not play out so well long term.

I think that this dynamic is to some extent behind the apparently contradictory messaging we are getting from the government with regards to Sonora and accounts for the long speech he gave at the recent meeting between the North American leaders.

I don’t think that the Mexicans will burn their bridges with the Chinese lightly, and so I’m hopeful that a win-win solution is more likely than not.

Surely whatever went on between gangfen and Bcn our ownership is based on the original licences which are not in question. Or are they?

It’s amazing how persistent this idea that lithium can’t be produced from clay is.

“ With regard to Mexico, US calculations indicate that in Sonora there are lithium reserves equivalent to 1.7 million tons, which could be even higher due to the work carried out in the Bacadéhuachi deposit, Sonora, which has been cataloged since 2018. as the largest in the world.

However, specialists in mining issues and even federal government officials maintain a certain distance on the availability of lithium in large quantities in the country's mines, since up to now the exact amount that is in the deposit found by the company Bacanora Lithium Plc.

"Many people have believed that there are 243 million tons of lithium, even some politicians have come out to say this number without having full knowledge of the subject, but what is there are 243 million tons of clay that have 0.34% lithium" , explained Armando Ernesto Alatorre, president of the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico AC

Even in October 2021, the then Secretary of the Economy, Graciela Márquez, denied, during an appearance in the Senate, that the country has the largest lithium reserve in the world: "It is very important, and here I want to emphasize, when made this estimate of the lithium deposit, all the clay was taken into account, but those tons of clay are not lithium.”

In addition, Alatorre Campos points out that one of the biggest challenges facing the Bacanora Lithium company is being able to separate lithium from clay in industrial quantities, something that has not yet happened anywhere else in the world, and that this process is carried out at a cost low.”

From here: https://dossierpolitico.com/seccion.php?categoria=301

Which I found from Jim’s link earlier.

Doing a Babis. I’ve thought that was a possibility for some time. But given the way international piracy has made a come back with Russian assets then why not extend this theft to Chinese assets? They can always find a way to make legal what is currently illegal.

Let’s hope a compromise can be made.

Basically Mexico is trying to steal back what they should never have allowed to be sold in the first place. This will be terrible for inward investment. The best resolution would be to allow existing permits to stand but with provisos attached that bring the factories and expertise into Mexico. This would be the win win scenario. Train up locals in all the relevant areas of expertise and develop an industrial base in the lithium sector with a skills base to match.

But logic is unlikely to prevail I guess. If Mexico just starts randomly nationalising stuff developed by foreign companies it will hamper development in the long run.

Thanks for the hopium. Troubling times. Anyway “this time next year Rodney …”